10-year-old girl is victim of bottle bomb in Taylor; teens arrested

Taylor girl's mother wants those responsible to apologize for throwing bottle bomb at her daughter

What began as an afternoon of fun ended with Daeja Franklin in the back of an ambulance.

The 10-year-old Taylor girl says she was approached by three teenage boys. One of them had what is known as "the works bomb," a plastic bottle filled with a dangerous mix of household cleaning products.

"For a minute I thought I was going to die," said young Daeja. "They said, 'Throw it at the black girl.'"

She says one of the teens threw the concoction at her. It exploded when she tried to kick it away.

"When I started crying, they ran off laughing," she said.

Her mother says Daeja was covered in the mess of chemicals.

"It was just all over her clothes. The smell was terrible. It was a very foul odor," said Lashawnda Franklin.

Moreover, it had gotten into Daeja's eyes.

"Her eyes were red. She was crying," her mother said.

Daeja is OK but doctors say she could have been burned or, even worse, gone blind.

"No she's afraid, and that's not fair. It's not fair," her mother said.

Police arrest 3 teens spotted setting off bottle bomb

Moments after Local 4 interviewed the Franklins, a neighbor caught a couple of teens setting off a bottle bomb. He called 911, chased the teens down and held them until police arrived.

Local 4 cameras were rolling as police recovered evidence and placed three teens under arrest.

"I would like to see them apologize to her because she doesn't deserve that," said Lashawnda Franklin.

One neighbor told Local 4 the loud explosions caused by the bottle bombs had become a nuisance during the past week.

As of now, it appears Daeja has been the only victim.

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